Man sought in assaults on two women

San Diego  A man pretending to be a maintenance worker assaulted two women at their homes in Golden Hill in May and in Pacific Beach on Thursday, San Diego police said Friday.

In both cases, the women screamed and fought off the attacker.

The first incident occurred May 13, when a resident near Broadway and 27th Street reported being assaulted at 11:10 a.m. She told police a man said he was a maintenance employee for her apartment complex and he had to do some work in her bathroom, said police Lt. Rudy Tai of the sex crimes unit.

Tai said the man asked the woman to remove items from below the sink. When she bent over, he pulled her hips back toward him, then grabbed her breasts. The woman screamed and struggled until the man ran outside. He drove away in a small white pickup.

He pulled a similar ploy about 8 p.m. Thursday at a Pacific Beach townhome, Tai said. The man told the resident he had to shut off the water and check the water pressure.

Tai said the woman was suspicious of him, so she followed him upstairs, to the bathroom. He asked her to take things out from under the sink. This time, as the woman bent over, the man punched her in the face. When she screamed and fought, he ran away.

The women described him as Latino, 28 to 35 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall, with a heavy build and a large belly. He wore a T-shirt and jeans. He spoke Spanish to one victim and English with an accent to the other one, Tai said.

Police asked that any other victims or anyone with information about the assailant contact the sex crimes unit at (619) 531-2210 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.